With the consent of the leaders from Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the center for Vietnam Science and Technology Internationalization Promotion (VISTIP) and the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation of the United Stateswith the support of the US Embassy and professional organizations in Vietnam successfully co – organized “Food Biotechnology Communication, Media relations and Multi-sectoral Collaboration training workshop”on 15th and 16th of October, 2015 at Melia Hotel Hanoi, Vietnam.
Goals of the workshop were to
enhance the communication capacity and efficiency of government officials,
scientist community and health experts in field of food and agricultural
biotechnology, working withtraditional and social media; improve the awareness
of media about food safety, Agro-science and related technologies including
biotechnology, and to create user-friendly communication materials.
The participants were scientists, officers from provincial departments of
Science and Technology, research organizations, universities, enterprises and
media agencies.
In the opening ceremony, Mrs. Bui Thi Huy Hop – VISTIP’s deputy director had
emphasized the main goal of this workshop was to tighten the collaboration
between stakeholders in order to improve the interaction efficiency of media
agencies and experts in the theme of biotechnology applied in agriculture and
foods. She hoped to hold thisworkshop annually, promoting science and
technology collaboration and forming linkages between scientists of both
countries. In the same line, Mr. David B. Schmidt, president and CEO of IFIC
Foundation, in his speech, had dedicated the IFIC Foundation’s commitments to
support the Vietnam development of science and technology, especially in the
field of biotechnology, foods and food safety where his organization has strong
expertise in.
In the frame of the 2 days workshop, IFIC Foundation and VISTIP’s experts, with
speakers from Southern Mississippi University (Prof. Dr. Steven Venette);
University of California Riverside (Prof. Dr. Alan McHughen); WHO (Mrs. Helen
Yu, senior communication consultant); Agricultural Genetics Institute (Prof.
Dr. Le Huy Ham), People Newspaper (MSc. Reporter Phan Huy Thang) and the
participants had share common interests, concerns related to communication on science
and biotechnology, foods safety, especially products made by achievements of
biotechnology. All participants enthusiastically joined in the simulated
exercises including provincial government officials, researchers working in
research institutions and lecturers in universities. All factors combined had
made a successful workshop.
Overview of the workshop
Vice minister Tran Quoc Khanh and the IFIC delegation, professors, experts in
the meeting in afternoon 16th Oct 2015 in the headquarter of MOST
After the event, Deputy Minister of MOST Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh met the IFIC Foundation delegation and professors, experts who contributed in the workshop’s success, at the MOST’s head office in the afternoon of Oct 16th 2015. In the meeting, Mr. Andrew Philip Benson – vice president of IFIC Foundation, in charge of international relations, on behalf of the delegation reported to the Minister about the results of the 2 days workshop and collaboration proposed by IFIC and VISTIP aimed to contribute in enhancing capacity of Vietnamese scientists community serving well the science and technology integration of Vietnam. He highly appreciated the efforts of VISTIP and IFIC Foundation as well as of in-country and international professors, including experts from highly reputed universities in the United States, W.H.O, Agricultural Genetics Institute, People Newspapers. Vice minister Tran Quoc Khanh requested both VISTIP and IFIC Foundation actively develop a long term and definitive e collaboration plan and carry out similar events in the future to help the science and technology integration of Vietnam
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